A Pennsylvania jury has ordered pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline to pay $2.5 million to the family of a boy born with severe birth defects.
The award is based on claims that the mother’s use of the antidepressant Paxil during her pregnancy was the cause of 3 year-old Lyam Kilker’s bith heart defects. The jury found that Glaxo failed to properly warn doctors and pregnant women of the risks of using Paxil, because it was trying to increase its profits.
The award was more than double the $1.2 million that the family had sought for Lyam Kilker’s past and future medical care and other damages caused by the heart defects.
